My daughter loves Muhlenberg but is slightly concerned about the surrounding area. What is there for students to do? How safe is the area around campus and Allentown? She’s a foodie and loves ethnic food, cool coffee houses etc
Input from my daughter, who’s a junior there:
It’s very safe around campus, and in general all of Allentown is super safe. (Some of the students talk about Allentown as if it isn’t, but she attributes that to some unfortunate implicit racial biases triggered by the city being nearly 40% non-white.)
The campus is located in a suburban-style residential neighborhood, so it can admittedly be tricky to find anything to do terribly close to campus, but there are lots of fun ethnic food and coffeehouse type places a moderate walk/very short drive east of campus. (With the Allentown farmer’s market in between, if your daughter is into that sort of thing.)
Mass transit around the campus is anemic, but a large chunk (perhaps most?) of the 2nd-year+ students have cars on campus, so it’s pretty easy to get rides for shopping or entertainment (says my kid, who doesn’t have a car).
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This is very helpful. Thank you! I gather from your response that your daughter is happy there?
She is! She is very much a small liberal arts college kind of person, and Muhlenberg definitely provides that sort of environment.
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You need to be careful in parts of Allentown. I wouldn’t say it is entirely safe. There are some unsavory people walking around in certain parts. It’s reality, not racial bias.
Thank you Whatrocks. What areas are you speaking of? Thanks!
I feel safe in Allentown and on-campus, personally. Lots of great foodie destinations too. Definitely visit the Farmer’s Market if you visit! Also, Union & Finch is a favorite local restaurant for foodies!
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Thank you! My daughter just committed to play lacrosse. So excited!! Safety and good food are so important. 
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